Necticut



(No Model.) 1 2 S-heets-Shet' 2.

- E. sv-H. GSTOGKWELL.

TIME LOCK.

Patented Feb. 19, 188,4.

Experiments have shown that by a proper adlNIT-nn STATES EMORY STOOKVEEL AND HERBERT NECTIOUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.Y

O. STOGKWELL, OF STAMFORD, CON- YALE 8U TOWNE AMANUFACTURING TIM E-LOC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,815, dated February` 19, 1884.

Application filed Septelnb To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we,`EMoRY SrocKwELL and HERBERT C. STocKwELL, of- Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Locks, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

A late` mode of attacking safes and vaults the bolt-work of whose doors is fastened in the locked position by means of a time-lock is by discharging a charge of dynamite or other quick explosive on the outside of the door to which the lock is applied, in close proximity to the lock. The object of this explosion is to endeavor by the concussion to displace some part of the time mechanism,.in the expectation that the time mechanism will rundown and unlock the lock. Injury to a time-lock by concussion of any sort was anticipated and guarded against in a time-lock patented by Emory Stockwell, one of the parties hereto, in United States Patent N o. 168,062, granted September 21, 1875. The method thereused is the cushioning of the movement on springs.

justment of springs a time-lock can be made entirely secure against attack by concussion under ordinary circumstances. It may possibly in some cases, however, be desirable to provide additional security against attacks of this sort, and the device here shown is one of `the means of v security. We are aware that the same objecthas been sought to be accomplished by different means-for example, as shown by United States Patent No. 262,094. However, we do not claim any such means as shown in said patent, but prefer our own, as shown Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, of atime-lock with our improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mainspring and its barrel and base-support. Fig. 4 -is a detached section, showing the bottom of the barrel and its base-support. Fig. 5 is a section of one side of the mainspring-barrel undesirable.

er 25, 1883. (No model.)

and its support and a shouldered pin for holding and releasing the barrel.

It seems objectionable to us to interfere in 5o any way with the connecting mechanism between thelock-bolt or dog and the mainspring of the time-movement, because if any part of said connecting mechanism is made yielding the operative'continuity of the mechanism, in con- 55 sequence of the delicacy of the parts, is liable to be interrupted at a time when this is very We therefore leave the connecting mechanism between the lock-bolt or dog and the mainspring of the time-movement in- 6o tact, and operate upon the barrel of the mainspring and back plate of the movement to which said barrel is attached. Our method is so simple and positive that there is no liability to accident when-it` is not desirable that the device should act, while at the same time it will surely Aact when necessary. Of course, to drive the movement of the time mechanism, it is necessary that the mainspring should be held securely at both ends when it is wound, 7o so that its force can be expended directly on the train and cause itto operate the other parts of the lock. The outer end of the mainspring is attached to the mainspring-barrel, which is usually, inthe movements used in time-locks, rigidly secured to the back plate of the movement. Our device consists, broadly, in detachably connecting" the mainspring-barrel to the back plate of the movement, so that at the proper time the barrel will be released, which 8o will release the outer end of the mainspring,

so that it cannot drive the movement of the time-lock and cause it to run down.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates av plate, upon which the mainspring Band its barrel C rest. The mainspring-barrel, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with an outwardly-projecting annular flange,

P, at its bottom, over which a ring, Q, having a corresponding annular recess or shoulder, R, 9o

ts.' The barrel'is capable of rotary movement'within its ring, and also of beingrmly secured to the ring, whichlatter is fastened firmly to the plate A. In order to provide for this fastening and releasing of the barrel, we form a hole or socket, S, in the ring Q, which also intersects or cuts a slight concavity in the flange ofthe mainspring-barrel. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) Into this hole or socket we insert a pin, T, having an annular ledge or shoulder, U, which exactly iits the socket. This pin projects back nearly in contact with the door, as shown in Fig. 2, and is capable of slight longitudinal movement or thrust. It normally stands in the position shown in Fig. 2, in which position it keys the barrel firmly to the ring and prevents its turning by the force of the mainspring or otherwise. As the timelock is in almost every case secured to the door by means of bolts, over which and between the door and the lock are placed rubber washers, a heavy concussion will cause the lock to approach the door. The result of this movement of the lock and door toward each other will be to drive the pin inward to the position shown in Fig. 5, in which position the shoulder U is embraced entirely within the socket in the ring, and the barrel is released and at liberty to turn, which it will do rapidly under the tension of the mainspring. The mainspring thus being released from its outer end will not be capable of imparting any motion to the time mechanism, so that it cannot unlock the lock. The pin T should iit or be held in its bearings snugly enough to require some force to thrust it inward, in order to avoid its displacement by handling or by accident. This can readily be done, however, as the parts are all large and in no wise delicate.

XVe do not limit our invention to the precise mechanical means shown for permitting the nncoiling of the mainspring at its outer end, because this result may be accomplished by a variety of means differing in detail.

Vhat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a timelock, the combination of a spring-barrel set in bearings in which it may rotate, a movable pin or stop so constructed and arranged that it normally prevents the rotation of the barrel, but when moved longitudinally, by concussion or otherwise, will release the rotary barrel, and the mainspring within the barrel, which, when the barrel is thus released, will canse it to rotate, whereby the mainspring will be uncoiled from its outer end, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. v

2. The combination ol' the mainspring, the flanged barrel, the ring provided with the hole or socket intersecting the flange of the barrel, and the shouldered pin T, all constructed and operatedsubstantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof wehave hereunto subscribed our names this th day of July, A. D. 1883.

EMORY STOCKVELL. HERBERT C. STOCKVELL.

\Vitnesses as to E. Stockwell: SCHUYLER MERRITT, GEO. E. WHITE.

As to H. C. Stockwell:

CHAs. E. VAIL,

H. S. MCCOXKEY. 

